Fruit-jar closure.



- Patented Mar l3, I900 A. SMELKER.

FRUIT JAR CLOSURE.

(Apphcatmn filed Sept 11 1899) (No Hndel.)

w W J WITNESSES A YTORNEY.

' Nr'rsn STATE.

ANGELINE SMELKER, OF NORTH STAR, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-THIRD TO MARY M. MEHRING, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FRUIT-JAR CLOSURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,430, dated March 13, ieoo.

Application filed September 11 1899. Serial No. 730,132. (No model.)

To azz whom it may concern: retainer; Fig. 8, atop plan of the lid-retainer;

Be it known that I, ANGELINE SMELKER, a Fig. 9, a vertical sectional view illustrating citizen of the United States, residing at North more clearly than in Fig. 2 the form assumed Star, inthe countyof Darke and State of Ohio, in cross -section by the sealing-ring when 5 have invented certain new and useful Impressed down to effect the sealing or closure. 55

provements in Fruit-Jar Closures; and I do In practically carrying out my invention I declare the following to be a full, clear, and employ jars or like vessels A of any suitable exact description of the invention, such as type and material, preferably of glass, in the will enable others skilled in the art to which form which is usually employed for preservit appertains to make and use the same, refing fruit, and I provide a neck B of suitable 6o erence being had to the accompanying drawsize and form, at the top or mouth of which ings, and to the letters of reference marked the lid E is applied. The lid is also preferthereon, which form a part of this specificaably made of glass or similar substance, so tion. that the contents of the vessel may not be I 5 My invention relates to the appliances emcontaminated by contact with metal, as in 65 ployed in connection with the mouths of jars some cases, and as it is difficult to accurately for closing and sealing the same after having and cheaply form such material I apply the been filled; and the invention consists in a sealing or packing ring in a V-groove above jar-neck, a lid, and securing device of new the lid, and the whole arrangement is such and novel form of construction and combinathat the sealing-ring adapts itself to the in- 70 tion and arrangement of parts hereinafter deequalities of surface of the unyielding lid and scribed, and pointed out in the claims. neck with Which it forms a contact, as will be Objects of this invention are to provide a further more clearly explained hereinafter. closure which shall be reliable and positive While a screw-ring G is shown adapted to in use, so as to avoid leakage and consequent engage screw-threads b at the exterior of the 75 loss, which shall be adapted to be effective neck B, I may employ lugs and recesses when either the lid or thejar-neck, or both, whereby to lock the lid to the neck, all of are inaccurately formed, as frequently occurs familiar form. v in practice, and which, furthermore, may be The neck B is circular and has an internal 3o cheaply produced and be durable and ecoannular rib a situate a short distance below 80 nomical in use. These objects are attained the top or mouth thereof for the purpose of in my invention and illustrated in the accomsupporting the lid, and above the rib is a sloppanying drawings, in which similar letters of ing or annular face 0, against which the sealreferencethroughouttheseveralfiguresdesiging-ring F is forced to bear at the exterior nate similar parts. surface. The diameter of the annular face 85 Referring to the drawings, Figure l repre- O is greatest at its top and may extend to the sents a fragmentary perspective view of a mouth of the vessel, if desired, forming the fruit-jar embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a outer wall of the V-groove. The lid D is also central vertical sectional view; Fig. 3, a cencircular and atits bottom e fits neatly upon the tral vertical sectional view of the lid, showannular rib a and as closely as practicable to 0 ing the packing-rim g as it would appear when the bottom of. the sloping face 0. Preferably applied before being pressed down to form the lid has a rib f at its bottom, fitting Within the sealing, the dotted lines h h indicating the the rib a, but it is not in all cases essential. opposing Walls of the neck; Fig. 4, a central It is designed to prevent the contents of the vertical sectional'view of the upper part of a vessel from readily flowing between the bot- 5 jar having a neck formed in accordance with tom 6 and the top of the rib or. The periphmy invention; Fig. 5, an elevation of the lid; cry of the lid forms an annular beveled face Fig. 6, a perspective view of the packing or E, sloping inwardly from the bottom e, so as Y sealing ring; Fig. 7, a central vertical secto be smallest diametrically at the top of the tional view of the securing screw-ring or lidlid, providing the inner wall of the V-groove, 10o

. against both sides of the groove.

and against this face the internal surface of the sealing-ring F is forced. A knob cl is provided for lifting the lid from the neck. It will be observed that the junction of the lid and the neck is at the bottom of both sloping faces of the V-groove, so that there is no flat bottom to arrest the sealing-ring.

The sealing-ring F is circular and has sufficient area in cross-section to provide considerable elasticity to compensate for irregularity of the circular faces 0 and E, against which it bears to form the sealing. A circular cross-sectional form is preferable, as shown; but this may be slightly varied, as it would be equally effective were it semicircular, with the circular part undermost in use. It should be made of rubber or of a composition ofsimilarsubstance. Thescrew-ring G is also circular and near the top has an exterior milled groove J, in which a cord or wire clamp may be drawn taut in order to force the ring on and off the neck. The top of the screwring is open, but it has an internal flange H, which extends over the edge of the neck B and downward at the inside of the neck, forming a depressed flange I, adapted to bear upon the sealing-ring F, by which construction the lid is somewhat depressed in the neck, so that the knob d does not protrude above the flange H, which is a convenience when it is desired to set one jar upon another; butit is obvious that the flange II might be adapted to bear upon the sealing-ring with a slight modification in the position of the bearing-faces for the-sealing-ring. Yet the form shown, having a nearly-vertical part between the flange planes H and I, possesses the greatest strength with the minimum thickness or weight of material in the screw-ring, which may suitably be made of either spun or pressed zinc.

In some cases it may be desirable to form either one or both of the faces 0 and E more nearly vertical than shown in order to economize in the use of the elastic material of which the sealing-ring F is formed, and I therefore reserve the right as within the scope of my invention. Also the annular groove, which is formed by the faces 0 and E, may be semicircular in cross-section instead of V-shaped, as preferably formed.

In practical use, the jar being filled, the lid D is inserted, and then the sealing ring F is placed in position in the V-shaped annular groove formed by the oppositely-slopin g faces C and E, and as the groove thus formed may be of greater width at some portions than at others, owing to inaccuracies in forming the parts, as is well known, the-sealing-ring by reason of its large sensitive volume in crosssection readily adapts itself under slight pressure to the variations of surface and approximately forms contact continuously The screw or retaining ring G is placed in posit-ion, and as It is forced against the top of the ring F the latter, having the two annular points of contact below, is prevented from turning, the resistance at the top being slight at first,- so that the metal slides freely upon it until sufficient force is exerted to fiat-ten the top and sides of the ring, as it'would appear in cross-section, so as to resemble atriangle, the bearing-surfaces'thus hemming in the elastic material as it spreads and insuring a tight joint, at the same time preventing an upward movement of the lid. When opening the jar, the retaining or screw ring and the sealingring may he removed and laid away for future use, while the lid maybe conveniently used with the jar while the contents are used in small quantities from it, and thus has advantages appreciated by the housekeeper.

Having thus described my inventiom-what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat= cut, is-

1. A jar-closure comprising a neck pro vided with an internal annular sloping face extending downwardly and inwardly from the top of the neck, so as to form in transverse section substantially one-half of a vertically divided V-shaped groove; a support for a lid at the bottom of the sloping face; a lid provided with an external annular sloping face extending upwardly and inwardly from the bottom of the lid, at the periphery thereof and embracing the whole of the periphery of the lid, so as to form in transverse section substantially one-half of a vertically-divided V shaped groove; a sealingring bearing against both of the sloping faces only at the portions thereof intermediately of their extremities; and a retaining-ring bearing upon the upper side of the sealing-ring; whereby a triple contact-joint is provided.

2. In a jar-closure, the combination of the neck and the lid provided each with an oppositely-disposed sloping face forming onehalf of a V-shaped annular groove parting centrally at the bottom thereof, asupport for the bottom of the lid, a sealing-ring having a contact with the sides of the groove intermediate the tops and bottoms thereof, and the retaining-ring bearing upon the top of the sealing-ring transversely centrally.

3. In a jar-closure,- the combination of the neck having the external lid-securing devices and the internal sloping annular face, the lid-' support, the lid having the sloping peripheral face extending from the bottom of the lid upwardly, the sealing-ring bearing against said sloping faces, the retaining-ring having the securing devices corresponding to the securing devices upon the neck, the parallel portion at the upper part of the neck above such securing devices, the continuous annular groove in the upper part of the retaining-ring registering with said parallel portion and having milling or serrations transversely therein, and the depressed flange removed from such annular groove and bearing upon the top of the sealing-ring in a plane below the top of the neck.

4. In a fruit-jar, a closure comprising the neck and the lid, the annular groove parted centrally at the bottom thereof on a vertical line, a sealing-ring seated against the opposing sides of said groove intermediate of the tops and bottoms thereof only whereby bottom clearance. is effected, and the retainingring bearing upon the upper side of the sealing-ring transversely central thereof, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANGELINE SMELKER.

l'Vitnesses:

WM. H. PAYNE, E. T. SILVIUS. 

